LtGen Jon M. Davis

Marine Barracks, Washington D.C.: After 37 years of service, Lieutenant General Davis takes a moment to reflect on where we are and where he thinks we are headed with Marine Aviation by focusing on his three priorities: readiness, recapitalization and people. >> READ MORE

WASHINGTON – The United States Marine Band performs during the Friday Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 1, 2016. The guest of honor for the parade was the Honorable Richard M. Burr and the Honorable Thom Tillis, United States Senators from North Carolina. The hosting official was Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis, deputy commandant for aviation. >>READ MORE

Representatives from ACT, including Will Lewis, Marc Finlayson, James Norment, Pete Rose and Randy West attended the Friday Evening Parade and the ceremony to follow. It was another opportunity to meet with the NC Military Affairs Commission to further advocate for MCAS Cherry Point.

Wednesday, June 29th the board members of Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow had a unique opportunity to tour MCAS Cherry Point with Colonel Trey Pappas. Colonel Pappas is finishing his responsibilities at Cherry Point before moving to Marine Corps Base Quantico in July. A change of command ceremony is scheduled for July 28th.

The tour, which began at 8:30am on Wednesday morning reinforced the importance of our mission, which is to advocate for the existence and success of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Fleet Readiness Center East and its civilian enterprises. We had a chance to go behind the scenes and learn about the valuable asset we have in our area. After a brief presentation by Colonel Pappas, groups were led to the control tower, radar room and weather station. Special presentations were given by several military personnel, so we got a much better understanding of the level of training each area endures to ensure the highest level of technology, expertise, security and safety.

Although many of us understand the economic importance of the base to our community, it is of equal importance to understand how keyed in our base is to national security. MCAS Cherry Point is expected to receive the largest number of F35 Joint Strike Fighters in the country, so it is critical that we prepare the infrastructure to accommodate this new state of the art equipment. While MCAS Cherry Point has some of the latest technology available, it also has many buildings dating back to the 1940’s. These buildings must be removed, utilities need to be updated and new buildings must be built in a timely manner as we prepare for the new fleet of F35’s. LtGen Jon M. Davis said at his last visit to Cherry Point in May 2016 that the F35 fleet can start coming as soon as the hangars and supporting infrastructure are completed. Construction is scheduled to start in 2019, with fleets coming in 2022.

We also learned about the importance of protecting outlying land to better support training missions. Expansion would be ideal if a budget would allow for that, but with limited funds, we have to do everything we can to protect what is already ours, both on land and in the water. We will continue to work closely with surrounding cities and counties, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders who are working on Joint Land Use Studies (JLUS). These partnerships are critical for the growth of the base and the safety of the community.

The tour finished with a look at the VMU-2 squadrons to see some of the latest UAVs that will be deployed overseas within the next few weeks. This is a fascinating operation to see as the “cockpit” for over 45 units is stationed on the ground. It was an honor to hear first-hand what these missions entail and the success they have already had. More information about this squadron can be found here.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to tour MCAS Cherry Point and look forward to working closely with the new Colonel later this month. We continue to work with local and state legislators, will work to educate our community about the importance of MCAS Cherry Point to not only our economy, but to our national defense. As citizens of Eastern North Carolina, it is truly a privilege to have these fine men and women leading the efforts in protecting our freedom and fighting for our safety.

LtGen Jon M. Davis, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps of Aviation, arrived at the Havelock Tourist & Event Center on Tuesday morning to deliver a positive message for the local community: the F-35’s are still on track to arrive in Cherry Point beginning 2022. “I can’t get that airplane into the hands of my Marines and maintainers fast enough,” said Davis. “You want to know what you can do to help? Help me fight the fight to get F-35s as quickly as you can.”

He went on to say, “The F-35 is quantitatively changing the way that we fly, much like the V-22 did,” said Davis. “When the big one happens, when the really big day happens, you are going to want your sons and daughters and your Marines to deploy from this base in the F-35 to go carry the day.”

Davis spoke to a crowd of about 100 to give his remarks, followed by lunch and a debrief of the 2016 Marine Corps Aviation Plan. Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow was integral in getting Lt. Gen. Davis to our area and appreciates the task at hand. We are here to advocate for MCAS Cherry Point, FRC East and its civilian enterprises and that’s what we’ll continue to do. Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow relies on grants, private donations and memberships to continue advocacy work and educate our community. If you are interested in becoming a member, please click here.

For more information about LtGen Davis’ visit, please check out the links below for area coverage:

Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis, the deputy commandant of Marine Corps aviation, is scheduled to speak about the future of Cherry Point and Fleet Readiness Center East during a presentation at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center. >> READ MORE

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